Carrot halwa is a famous Indian sweet made from grated sweet carrots, sugar, milk, ghee all sauteed till it turns into a sweet, soft halwa. This light orange coloured sweet is loved by children and is a good way of getting children to eat some carrots. The halwa is flavoured with elaichi and along with added cashews and raisins this halwa is fit to be laid out for a feast.
This is one of those sweets where you do not have to check whether it is set or worry about making a threaded sugar syrup. The only thing to get this halwa to a soft and moist consistency is to stop sauteing it at the right time so that it is moist enough and does not dry out. The pictures below illustrate at what stage the halwa needs to stop cooking.
This will surely be a hit with everyone and is a good sweet to prepare in large quantities. It is easily portable and is a crowd pleaser. It can be served both as a sweet or dessert. Fancy it up a bit by serving with vanilla ice cream right on top. Do try more halwa and other sweet recipes from FOI.
- ½ Kg grated carrots or 3½ Cups lightly packed grated carrots
- 1 Cup sugar
- 1 Cup milk
- 2 Tbsp milk powder
- 2 Tbsp almond powder
- 2 Tbsp ghee
- 12 broken cashews
- 2 Tbsp raisins
- 8 powdered elaichi/cardamom
- Warm the milk and keep aside.
- Heat a pan and add 1 Tbsp ghee and fry the cashews till golden. Add the raisins and turn off the heat. Keep them aside on a plate
- Add remaining ghee in same pan, sauté the grated carrots in the pan for 5 minutes or till the raw smell of carrots is gone
- Add the sugar. Let it melt with the carrots and mix well
- Add milk. Mix well and cook till all ingredients come together
- Add the milk powder and almond powder. Mix well till halwa starts to thicken
- When the milk evaporates and some moisture remains in the halwa turn off the heat
- Add elaichi powder and mix well
- Add half of fried cashews and raisins. Mix well
- Garnish with the remaining cashews and raisins and serve hot or at room temperature. The halwa can also be stored for a couple of days
Adding milk powder gives richness and taste to the halwa
Use a thin grater to grate the carrots which reduces the cooking time of the carrots and makes it come together quickly
Sautéing the carrots for few minutes removes the raw smell of the carrots
You can also add 50 Gm Khova for additional flavour and richness
Stepwise:
Warm the milk and keep aside
Heat a pan and add 1 Tbsp ghee and fry the cashews till golden. Add the raisins and turn off the heat. Keep them aside on a plate
Add remaining ghee in same pan, sauté the grated carrots in the pan for 5 minutes or till the raw smell of carrots is gone
Add the sugar. Let it melt with the carrots and mix well
Pour in milk. Mix well and cook till all ingredients come together
Add the milk powder and almond powder. Mix well till halwa starts to thicken
When the milk evaporates and some moisture remains in the halwa turn off the heat
Sprinkle in the elaichi powder and mix well
Tip in half of fried cashews and raisins. Mix well
Garnish with the remaining cashews and raisins and serve hot or at room temperature. The halwa can also be stored for a couple of days
